Jack's 1st Christmas

I heard a few wise words recently and obviously didn't take them to heart. So I will repeat and you must listen if you know what's good for you... "Advice for taking an 800 mile road trip with a baby? Don't do it". We used to just throw a few outfits in a duffel, grab a Starbucks, and hit the road for 12 hours to get home to Billings. We most likely would stop to go pee two or three times, fuel up, and grab a candy bar. Well...things are a little different. The car was PACKED was baby must haves (crazy how these tiny humans require so many large items), Christmas presents, a carseat, a dog, and 2 adults. Matt's new co-pilot is now a canine that actually really sucks at keeping Matt entertained and I have been moved to the back seat. I spent my 800 miles singing Christmas songs, shaking rattles, making ridiculous faces and noises, and changing poopy diapers. Goodnight, we have arrived.

Once we made it to Montana, it was of course mad chaos and just a few hours of sleep here and there but as always, it was so good to be home. I should be grateful that we were able to drive back home this year instead of spending a horrendous amount of money on two plane tickets to get home from Charleston. Glass half full, eh?

Jack woke up late on Christmas morning, I even tried to wake him up in my excitement of his first Christmas morning. Santa had come and filled our stockings and still Jack was less than impressed. Must not be my child...

****One last important message...for those of you who do not understand the graphic on Jack's onesie on our Christmas card, WHO ARE YOU? Go watch A Christmas Story right now and you will understand! Seriously, I don't care if Christmas is over. After you watch the movie, you will then understand that I am not a crazy mom who dresses her 4 month old in inappropriate clothing.

Jack must hate pictures as much as his daddy does :)

all ready for Christmas Eve service!

bad photo...Erin has better ones but so good to see you Mr. Bennett!

Jack biting his great granny!

Jared, Matt, and our munchkins!

Jenny and I in our colored pants!

a peaceful moment in our roadtrip :)

Moose Mugs on Christmas morning!

Life as we knew it...

What a whirlwind the past five weeks have been for our tiny family. It all started in September when Matt was invited to interview for two jobs. One in Denver and one in Seattle and neither one with Boeing. We flew to Denver at the end of September and Matt participated in an interview with Children's Hospital of Colorado and then he flew alone to Seattle in October to interview with Seattle Children's Hospital. Matt has had an interest in healthcare for as long as I have known him. In high school, he often entertained the idea of going to med school but he wasn't convinced that he wanted to be a doctor and didn't enjoy academia THAT much. Well, upon his graduation as an Industrial Engineer, he went to work for Boeing. Boeing is an amazing company to work for and certainly nothing to complain about but he just felt that he wasn't passionate about airplanes. This is a difficult situation to be in in this economy because while he was incredibly grateful for this job that he had been blessed with, he felt as though he was being called to something different. After lots of prayer and patience, he decided to pursue lean process improvement in healthcare (similar to what he did with Boeing, just in a hospital setting). Well, the doors were opened for him at both Denver and Seattle and we sat in Charleston with a hard decision to make. Do we move to Seattle, Denver, or stay in Charleston? Don't get me wrong, we loved Charleston. Who can complain about the beach, sunshine, and southern hospitality? We have been blessed with some amazing friendships and there was no real reason to leave the area other than it was pretty far away from our families (minus my dad) and a lot of our friends out west. This was fine when it was just Matt and I but adding a little munchkin to the mix certainly changes your perspective on distance for multiple reasons. It was a hard decision but we ultimately decided to move to Seattle and now Matt works for Seattle Children's Hospital as a Lean Process Improvement Consultant.

So, that is what we have been doing for the past five weeks. We packed up our tiny home in Charleston and Matt, Raleigh, and my stepdad, Mike, drove across the country in a Uhaul & one car while Jack and I flew and met them here in Seattle. It is surreal to me that just two weeks ago (on Thanksgiving Day), we said goodbye to our southern home and moved back to the Pacific Northwest just 15 months after saying goodbye to it.

This was a bittersweet move but we are excited to be back! While it was hard to say goodbye see-you-later to our friends in Charleston, we were welcomed back by so many people that we love and city that we have missed so much. Sure, it has been constantly raining and gloomy since we've arrived but honestly, I welcome it. I miss snuggling up with hot coffee on a gloomy day and wearing my rainboots and scarves without working up a sweat :) It helps that it is the Christmas season and the cold makes it really feel like Christmas unlike last year when we had our windows open because it was 70 degrees outside. For those of you who know me, you know that I'm obsessed with the holidays and will squeeze every ounce of celebration out of Christmas from the day after Thanksgiving through New Year's Day so last year was difficult for me. I was on winter break with no one to make cookies with and then we left for the UK on Christmas Eve (not complaining about that part).

So that's the story morning glory! We now live in Seattle, Matt now works for a hospital, and our sweet boy Jack is now 3.5 months old. Lots of change and blessing for us all!

And of course, a photo of the cutest thing ever...

oh his way to meet Santa @ Nordstrom this past weekend. Total cuteness pics of that to come!

Jack's 1st Halloween

It is taking everything in me not to change my blog background to something Christmas related but I'll refrain for a few more weeks... :)

I cannot for the life of me remember what we did last Halloween so if anyone knows where we were, please tell me! Seriously, no idea. This Halloween was quite memorable although as it was Jack's first! Sadly, he didn't dress up in a costume but rather, just a cute onesie and wore Halloween pj's to bed on Halloween Eve & last night too. I'm lame, I know. I just figured he would be dressed up for about the amount of time it would take for me to snap a photo and bam, out of it. So...I'll start costume planning for next year...

I do like Halloween but don't usually have a strong desire to dress up. Yesterday though, I found myself wishing we had costumes! Maybe it's because I'm a mom now and want these holidays to be special for my kiddos. My mom dressed up a lot throughout the years and that was always fun. She is always so festive and creative, I want to re-create that for my munchkins. Although Jack will have absolutely no memory of what happened yesterday, I did bake pumpkin cupcakes and we ate Papa Murphy's jack-o-lantern pizza for dinner. We ended the night with a pumpkin candle burning, drinking a cold Red Hoptober and of course, watching Hocus Pocus...only the best Halloween movie ever. I talked to Dad yesterday and he had already watched it twice. Love my parents' love for holidays! We had about a thousand trick-or-treaters, not really but you get the picture. Part of buying candy to hand out is enjoying the leftovers and now there are NONE. Next year, I'm going to stop answering the door when there is 1/4 of the candy left because that's how I roll.

November 1st is always a great day because it means it's officially the HOLIDAYS! I set up this stack of movies on the DVD player this morning...

These will continuously be playing over and over until New Year's Day probably. Sorry in advance, husband. I will one day convince Matt that he also wants to be festive, but he's just not THAT into celebrating any holiday really...what's up with that? I mean, he doesn't hate it, but he also doesn't get that excited. He better figure it out real quick now that he has to start playing Santa this year! Now for some Halloween cuteness:

photography

As you probably know, I've become very intrigued by photography over the past couple of years. I jumped right into it basically knowing nothing about anything but I was determined to become self-taught (is that a word?) I've attended workshops, studied online courses, read books, practiced, and even have had the amazing opportunity of being a professional shooter in weddings, engagements, and family sessions. I'm so grateful for the people that have been willing to let me have such amazing experiences by capturing some of the most special moments of their life.

With that said, I've come to the realization that I have SO much to learn about photography. I think I tried to take on too much too fast and it became overwhelming to the point that I was disappointing myself in my work. So tap those brakes...I'm now simply focusing on learning for a few months and looking at it from a hobby perspective rather than a business aspect. I love photography and don't want to get discouraged by it because I'm taking on more than I can handle.

I absolutely still want to photograph anything that anyone would ask me to but with the mindset that I'm doing it for fun and to become a better photographer... and that I can't promise that they're going to be the best photos they'll ever receive! I want to enjoy photography, I want to be able to learn more and capture first and foremost, the memories that my sweet little family makes everyday. I want to capture my children and sweet husband living and loving life.

I've never felt that I have had one specific hobby that is special enough to me to pursue it with my time and money until I found photography, so I'm grateful that I've found a passion that is mine!

The "I do's"!

I realize that the only thing I have ever written about since he has been born is Jack. We clearly love him! Montana was also amazing for other reasons besides J getting to meet everyone. Matt and I were a part of two very special weddings when we were home. Tucker & Kristin tied the knot as well as Jeff & Vanessa. Both weddings were beautiful, special, and so much fun. Kristin & Vanessa were of course gorgeous brides and the men didn't look too shabby either! Thank you both for letting us stand beside you as you begun your forevers...we love you!

*Tracy Moore Photography* Aren't they just the most beautiful couple?!

*Holly Gannett Photography* Also a stunning couple! I have such hot friends!

Baby J is 2 Months!

Our sweet little love is officially two months old now. I don't remember what life was like before he came into our world. I'm sure it was much less chaotic but I wouldn't trade this life for anything. In his short two months of life, he has already been on 10 different plane rides...to Denver and back and then to Montana and back. I wish he could start building frequent flyer miles but apparently lap babies don't warrant such a privilege. He was an absolute angel on all flights except for one. Soon enough, he will be wanting to get out of our laps, down onto the dirty plane floor, but for now, I will welcome his constant snuggles while traveling.

Montana was such a whirlwind. We were there for 2 whole weeks and saw SO many people that we love and miss. We kicked off our trip with Gannett wedding festivities and ended the trip with Waller wedding festivities. At 6 weeks old, we left Jack for the very first time for a night on the town. His first official babysitter was my mom when she was here and let me run errands by myself but we left him with Matt's parents as we went to the bachelor/ette parties for an entire night. This was both sad and fun! I handled it far better than I thought I was going to and thoroughly enjoyed spending time with my girlfriends baby (and husband) free! Thanks Steve & Julie for taking care of sweet boy! After this initial night of leaving him with the grandparents, we left him several times with both sets of parents to tend to all of our wedding duties. My mom was such an amazing help when we were there...it was so nice to be able to share the parenting duty with her for a few weeks since we don't have that luxury here in SC. Jack loved spending time with all his grandparents as well as his great grandparents...so fun to think he has 4 great grandmas and 1 great grandpa!

I think we sat down on the couch to rest for about 2.5 seconds the entire time we were there so coming home to Charleston is always a welcomed relief as well. I love my friends and family but there is just always so much we want to do when we are in MT and it is impossible to fit it all in no matter how long we are there. It was so great seeing all of you though!

Here are some highlights below (impossible to post all the pics!)...

Baby angel slept the entire way to Montana on the plane

We flew from Denver to Billings with the Gannetts! You can see how travel changes with children :)

Meeting Auntie Jen at the airport!

Me and my Bass before the wedding.

Baby J meets Auntie V and Uncle Jeff

Jack's future mother-in-law & Baby Girl Ridgeway

The Bennetts came to visit! Don't worry, Jack and Lillian (5 months) weigh the same!

Uncle Joe!

Now Sisters!

Auntie Brenna

Uncle Mark!

Grandma Dede

Great Grandma with all her great grandchildren!

Tucker and Kristin during wedding decorating!

Sweet Addi & J.

Auntie Nicole!

My sweet boy is 2 months old!

As you can see, Jack met LOTS of aunties and uncles! There were many more that he met but I either don't have photos or have already posted them to facebook so I'll spare you of all the rest :) He is a loved baby!

And of course a letter to my sweet boy...

Dear Baby J,

We continue to fall more in love with you every single day. Your constant smiles and giggles bring daddy and I such joy. At 2 months of age, you are already so curious and observant. You watch our every move, studying what we do with such intent. Some of your favorite daily activities include swinging in your swing staring at the birds that hang above. You LOVE these birds, you are always smiling and laughing at them. It's hysterical. Other favorite activities include playing on your play gym, reading books, and chewing on your hands. The biggest change within the last month has been your ability to express your joy. You laugh and giggle all the time. You continue to also laugh in your sleep as well. Grandma Julie says she thinks you just have a happy heart. I agree with her which makes my heart happy! You are growing like CRAZY. You now weigh almost 15 pounds which is two times your birth weight...such a healthy boy. This also gives mommy a pretty great arm workout. So thanks for that! You are noticing your Raleigh Belle more and more. She rarely leaves your side and in true big-sister fashion, she is clearly annoyed by you when you cry. She just stares at you and walks away if you have been crying for a while. She used to be very concerned by your cries but now she just looks and you like "please be quiet". Your sleeping habits are getting much better. You struggled in Montana to find your "routine" but at home, you continue to sleep very well. You usually only wake up once a night around 3:00am. We are working on getting rid of this feeding time though...I know you can do it! I've decided that you will be one of those kiddos who loves to join their families for mealtime because it never fails that you ALWAYS wake up from your evening nap right when we sit down to eat dinner. That's ok though, we like it when our entire family is eating together (Raleigh included as she begs for scraps under the table...how charming :)). 

Daddy and I are so proud of you! Keep growing strong and learning new things everyday...we love you and are so grateful to be living this life with you.

1 Month

(I wrote this post a while ago...now Jack is almost 2 months old...but I wanted to publish it anyways so I can look back and remember what 1 month brought us in his life :) An up-to-date post soon to follow with lots of cute pictures!)

 I know, I know...I change my blog more than anyone you probably know but I get bored. And it's fall, I couldn't help it. Oh, and notice the awesome family photo in the corner...courtesy of the talented Brianne Haagenson!

This past month has been such a surreal whirlwind of both blessing and lots of prayer. Bringing a child into this world is one of the greatest yet scariest things. Jack is amazing but every day is a learning experience for both Matt and I. We are constantly laughing, loving, and smiling at him but our patience is also tested from time to time. I am beyond grateful for this although because I truly believe it has enhanced our marriage and lives.

1 Month @ A Glance:
Some of Jack's signature moves that he has displayed over the last 5.5 weeks include extremely loud grunting (both awake and while sleeping), stretching his arms into the air with fists squeezed shut, smiling and laughing in his sleep, gaining 6 pounds (yes, 6), eating at every chance he gets, and sighing with every breath while asleep (I just realized how funny he is when he sleeps). He loves sleeping on mommy and daddy's chest more than any other place. He also loves being patted on the butt and back but does not like his back rubbed. I think he's ticklish. Just this week, he has started to smile when you make funny faces at him and he LOVES being kissed...he think it's hilarious!

Tomorrow, we are taking Jack to the greatest place on earth...Montana! It will be his second plane time traveling via air...he's a frequent flyer already! Everyone is so excited to meet him!